


Need You Now

by wordsareleftbehind (froggydarren)



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: M/M, glee kink meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 03:06:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 11,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggydarren/pseuds/wordsareleftbehind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em></em><br/><span>Darren and Chris realize that thanks to some weird reason, they sleep better together than alone. They're friends, and friends help each other, right? And it's only sleep. Or so they think.</span><br/> </p><p>  <img/></p><p>(banner by <a href="http://djchika.tumblr.com">Deej</a>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first GKM prompt fill. The original prompt is [here](http://glee-kink-meme.livejournal.com/29310.html?thread=34603646#t34603646). 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Darren and Chris become nap partners. It happens by accident at first. They're up late, maybe watching movies or something, and they end up falling asleep together. Afterwards it's kind of awkward, but they both can't deny that it was the best nap either of them has ever had. Chris has irregular sleeping habits so it's rare for him to have such a good, restful nap. They both want to do it again, but Chris is worried that fact that he's gay makes it weird. Darren assures him he doesn't care, so they agree and happily become secret nap partners.  
> But before long it becomes more than just sleeping. They start waking up holding each other, cuddling; touching in places they shouldn't be touching, erections against hips, and inappropriate rubbing. When neither one of them can pretend it's not happening and it gets "too hot to handle", they take a break from napping. Chris explains to Darren that he liked it "too much" and it's probably not a good idea that they be nap partners anymore. However Darren thinks otherwise. He liked it too and he doesn't want to stop.  
>  _BONUS: To everyone else around them it, they're secret nap times look really suspicious ;) People keep joking that they're "having an affair" but they just laugh it off. When they finally get "caught", everyone starts handing each other money because they were making bets the whole time._

There was nothing unusual about the movie night at first. Chris invited Ashley and Darren over and they both ended up bringing more people, which resulted in a fight over which movie to watch. Joey was insisting on Harry Potter, backed up by Darren, of course. Lea, Ashley and Amber voted for some chick flick and Harry insisted on some action thing Chris didn't even know existed. In the end, they settled on watching three movies because they couldn't come to an agreement.

The girls decided to head out halfway through the second one, because the "action" turned more into gore and their mood from the sappy love story before that got ruined. Joey got called away shortly after by someone from work and Harry caught a cab with him, gloating that he got them watching his choice.

Darren and Chris decided they had enough energy to watch one more film, so after a small "discussion" that consisted of Darren chanting _PotterPotterPotter_ and Chris throwing various pillows at him only giving in because Darren suggested Disney as the other option, they moved to Chris' bedroom for comfort and stretched out on top of the covers with _Prisoner of Azkaban_ on the TV.

After the first ten minutes of the movie, when Darren managed to recite nearly all the lines perfectly synchronised with the TV, Chris rolled over to his side and stared for a second.

"I still don't get this."

"What?" Darren looked over to him with a confused look on his face.

"You remember every line in a Harry Potter movie. You don't forget lines on set, not even song lyrics in the studio. But then you go out and sing _your own songs_ and you keep forgetting words. They're _your_ own words. How?"

Darren laughed, because he'd been asked that question before and he never knew how to answer it clearly enough. He knew what went on in his mind that made him forget the words, sort of, but he never thought anyone would understand. But this was Chris, who was likely on the same page as him on this, so he decided to try and explain.

"You know when you're writing something that's entirely your own?" Chris nodded, "And you keep going back and rewriting and changing things around because it's very rarely what you want it to be?"

"Yeah, I've been there, done that."

"Well when I'm on stage and sing one of my own songs, it's like going back to that place. The songs keep changing in my head and then I get confused and forget what the words are that people are expecting."

"Wow, that actually makes more sense than I thought it would," Chris laughed.

"Thanks, I guess," Darren pouted.

"It's just so… you. It's not bad or anything. And now I'm totally put off writing music because I know I'd end up being the same," Chris continued giggling and Darren joined in.

They eventually managed to stop and turned back to the movie, but soon, Chris feels his eyelids dropping and knew that he'd fall asleep before the credits would roll. He turned to Darren to ask if he wanted to stay over and sleep on the couch, but found that it was a redundant question.

"Figures you'd fidget in your sleep," Chris whispered.

He'd thought Darren was awake still, but saw that his friend was fast asleep and yet moving slightly around his side of the bed. Chris gave in to the tiredness, only just managing to hit the power button on the remote control.


	2. Chapter 2

"Darren!"

"Not yet, too early," Darren mumbled in his sleep and Chris sighed, trying to shake the man awake.

"Might be, but I need you to move."

"Wha-what?"

"I need to get up," Chris smiled as Darren's sleepy eyes met his.

Somehow, while they slept, Darren moved around enough to have his head on Chris' ribs and Chris had woken up with his fingers tangled in Darren's curls, feeling Darren's arm wrapped around his waist.

"Oh, sorry," Darren mumbled only just coherently and slid off Chris, "Sorry, I don't know how I landed here. And sorry for falling asleep."

"It's OK," Chris slid out of the bed and walked into the bathroom.

When he came back, Darren was wrapped around one of the pillows, cuddling it like his life depended on it.

"You're a bigger cuddler than I thought," Chris laughed, "my poor pillow."

"You knew this," Darren said defensively and followed it with a yawn and stretch.

"That is true."

"Again, sorry for falling asleep and invading your sleeping space," Darren apologised with a blush on his face.

"It's really OK," Chris sat down on the edge of the bed, "it was actually the best sleep I had in…." he tried to remember when he slept that well before, "I think ever."

"Same," Darren smiled, "maybe we should take our naps together from now on, to get real rest."

Chris eyebrows shot up but he said nothing at first, even though the tension could've been cut with a knife.

"I'm serious, Chris," Darren got up on the bed, "I've not slept this well in months, we should take advantage of it."

"But…" Chris tried to find a way to appropriately ask what he needed to.

"It's _not_ going to be weird," Darren answered the unspoken question, knowing exactly what was bothering the younger man, "It's just sleeping, no funny business and I don't mind. As you well know, my cuddle-whoring ways don't discriminate by gender."

Chris laughed, the tension was broken and they started scrambling out of the bed and into the kitchen to find some breakfast.

Over cereal and coffee, they talked about their usual topics like the new script, StarKid, Chris' movie and book and thought little of the earlier 'let us sleep together completely innocently, no big deal' conversation.

"So, this whole nap thing," Darren started when they were putting the dishes away.

"What about it?"

"You on board with using whatever black magic helped us sleep like human beings?"

"OK." Chris breathed out after a few beats, "but can we not mention it to anyone? Even if they ask? Lea and Mark are already all on board with the whole you and me theory. No need to be adding fuel to the fire."

"Fair enough," Darren nodded, "So no issues here or at mine. Joey won't be weird about it or nosy, not after all the StarKid sleepovers."

The rules lasted about a week.


	3. Chapter 3

Darren stumbled into Chris' trailer barely able to keep his eyes open and feeling as if he was drunk. Chris was right behind him and just as tired. It had been three nights since they'd managed to get a good night's sleep in because of separate late night shoots, Darren's gig and Chris' meetings.

Not having the energy or consciousness to think about whether it was or wasn't a good idea, Chris locked the door behind them and only just managed to crash next to Darren on the sofa, instead of on top of him.

"Sleep," Darren mumbled, already nearly there.

"Alarm set," Chris replied quickly and closed his eyes, drifting off immediately.

The ringing made both of them jump when Chris' phone went off an hour later. Darren's arm was wrapped around Chris' waist, their bodies aligned in a way he couldn't understand due to the height difference. He had a fleeting moment of thinking _we fit_ before consciousness hit him and he pulled his arm away, trying to not knock Chris off the sofa as he stretched.

"God, hair and makeup's gonna kill me," Chris grumbled.

"Nah, they have to redo both of us anyway, remember?"

"Oh, right," Chris shuffled off the sofa and tried to find his sides for the afternoon shoot.

"What time are we finished today?" Darren yawned, plopping back onto the sofa after he'd tried to sit up.

"Depends," Chris laughed, "do you remember your lines?"

"Hey! What happened to the praise about me knowing my lines on set?"

"Well, how long did you spend learning them since we got the final script?"

They'd only gotten the last changes the day before and Darren had his show that night.

"After the show," Darren glared at Chris, "Why do you think I didn't sleep?"

"Darren," Chris turned to his friend, "you're going to do serious damage to yourself like this."

"You're one to talk," Darren nudged him, finally sitting up, "How many meetings did you fit around shooting this week?"

That ended the conversation for the moment and they both got up, straightening their clothes and bumping into each other in the small space as they tried to find everything they'd dropped when they came in.

"Time to face the lip gloss," Chris rolled his eyes.

"And gel," Darren grumbled, "I'm gonna need to shave my hair during the next hiatus to have normal hair again."

Chris eyed him with suspicion, wondering if Darren was insane enough to go through with something like that. He quickly came to the conclusion that he definitely would and his suspicion turned to an _Oh No You Won't_ glare that Darren responded to with a laugh.

They spent the walk towards the hair and makeup trailers running over their sides and talking over details.

"Hey!" Lea appeared out of one of the doors, "Where have you two gotten to?"

"Running lines," Chris blurted out quickly and immediately saw the doubt in Lea's eyes.

"You have what, two of them?"

"Yeah?" Darren tried to push past her into the trailer.

"OK…"

Lea moved out of the way and Chris and Darren disappeared out of sight. She stood there for a moment, then grabbed her phone and dialled a familiar number.

"Hey Mark," she said with a giggle, "Can I up my entry?"


	4. Chapter 4

"You done for the day?" Darren said with a yawn big enough that Chris heard his jaw crack.

"Yeah, I just need to bring the clothes back to wardrobe."

"Got any plans?"

"Yes," Chris smirked when Darren's eyes darted to his with a panicky look, "sleep."

"Oh, ok," Darren nodded in understanding, "Hey, since you're heading to wardrobe…"

"Gimme," Chris laughed, "I'll bring your stuff too. Though, could you _be_ any lazier?"

"Tired," Darren mumbled as he handed his pile of Blaine clothes to Chris.

"Well then, please don't drive yourself home."

"You offering?" Darren winked.

"Oh sure, why not," Chris shrugged and started off towards wardrobe, "Do _not_ fall asleep before I get back here."

"Aye, aye, captain," Darren went to salute, but his tiredness made his hand slip and he nearly punched himself.

Chris chuckled all the way to the costume department and still had a smile on his face on the way back.

"What's got you so cheerful?" Mark joined him on the way back to the trailers.

"Dare punching himself in the face," Chris' giggles resurfaced again.

"Should I ask or…" Mark couldn't help the smile.

"He just shouldn't try to be coordinated when he's half asleep," Chris offered as explanation, "it's hilarious, though."

Mark nodded and laughed along Chris, having seen enough of Darren when he got to the bottom of his energy supply but wouldn't stop going regardless. It mostly resulted in injuries or at the very least stories that were a source of laughter for weeks afterwards.

"Is he still here?" Mark asked and Chris replied with a nod, "I can drop him off home. If he's that tired, he's a danger to the world. And to himself."

"Nah, I've already said I'd bring him," Chris said nonchalantly, "now I just have to find out if I need to wake him up first."

Mark raised one eyebrow in Chris' direction but said nothing. They said their goodbyes and Chris knocked on Darren's door, fully expecting to not get a reply, so he jumped back when the door actually opened and Darren stumbled out.

"Right, sleepyhead, let's get you home."

They drove in near silence, the radio on low volume and Darren's head kept falling against the window. Chris tried to keep his eyes on the road, but couldn't help the occasional glance at his friend.

_He looks so young and cute when he's sleeping_ ; he thought and then immediately stopped his mind from elaborating in the direction it threatened to go, _no, not going there, Colfer. Co-worker, friend. Do NOT go there._

He knew he was failing somewhat, since he'd always found Darren attractive, but he had often congratulated himself on not letting it show. Not too much, at least, since the only ones who seemed to have suspicions were Mark and Lea. And they were easily veered towards talk of Kurt and Blaine rather than Darren and Chris.

"Dare," Chris whispered when he pulled up at his house, "Come on, proper sleep."

"Uh-huh," Darren nodded and slid out of the car, letting Chris lead him into the house.

Chris didn't bother with the couch, just steered the practically sleepwalking Darren straight into the bedroom and watched him fall face down on the pillow.

"Criss, will you at least take the hoodie and shoes off?"

"Uh-huh," came the muffled sound from the bed and Darren shook off the hoodie and kicked of his shoes and jeans before he slid under the covers, "Come, cuddles, sleep."

Chris laughed softly as he changed into a T-shirt and pyjama bottoms. Darren gave him a sleepy smile when they were finally both under the covers and Chris shivered a little when Darren's arm wrapped around him and pulled him close. But he was drifting off to sleep before he could protest or move. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chris woke up and wondered for a brief moment why he felt like his blanket got tangled around him while he was sleeping, then he realized that what held him in a tight grip were Darren's arms. He sighed softly and let himself relax back into the hug, not quite ready to get out of bed yet. There was no call time, since it was Saturday and he tried to convince his brain to switch off for another while and take advantage of the chance for a sleep in.

"Chris," Darren mumbled from behind him and Chris turned around, thinking that Darren was waking up too.

But instead, he only found closed eyes and a soft smile on Darren's face, obviously the result of whatever dream his friend was having. Darren's arms pulled him closer and Chris felt fingers brushing against his side in slow strokes. There was no room left for thinking Darren was dreaming of someone else as Chris' name echoed through the room again.

He couldn't help the reaction this caused and he froze when he realized that his body answered to the sound of Darren's voice and the gentle touch so strongly. Trying not to freak out completely, he managed to slide out of Darren's grip and watched his friend immediately grab the nearest pillow, wrapping his arms around it.

"You really have a severe cuddle problem, Dare," Chris whispered into the silence.

There was no way he could make himself fall asleep again, so he quietly walked down into the kitchen and decided to make coffee. His mind was whirring with the thoughts and feelings he woke up with, but by the time Darren entered the kitchen, Chris had managed to push them aside and decided that pretending nothing happened was the way to go. For all he knew, Darren wouldn't even remember his dream.

"Hey, you left me all by myself," Darren said grumpily, "woke me up."

"Sorry," Chris replied putting two cups of coffee on the table, "I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep."

"So, what's the plan for today?"

Chris looked up from his coffee in surprise. He always expected Darren to just bounce out the door, having a million things to do even on days he was supposed to be off.

"I… I have no plans, really," he finally said, chastising himself for the stutter, "why are you asking?"

"Well, since we have the weekend off," Darren said, obviously unaware of how he surprised Chris, "and I have nothing planned either, how about we hang out and watch movies and maybe, possibly try and get some more sleep?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Chris gulped, trying to regain his composure, "but I'm picking at least some of the movies."

"Do you not like my choices usually?"

"Dare, you're five years old when it comes to movie choices," Chris laughed, "And I do not have that many Disney DVDs to last us a whole day."

Darren pouted at him but after a short discussion that followed, he gave in and when they moved to the couch in the living room, he asked Chris to pick the first movie. Once Chris was seated on the couch, fumbling with the remote starting up the movie, Darren plopped himself next to him, then stretched out and let his head rest on Chris' thigh.

"Is this OK?" Darren asked but Chris knew there would be no moving his friend anyway, so he replied with a "Yeah, sure," and pressed PLAY.


	6. Chapter 6

Halfway through the movie, Darren was fast asleep and Chris was playing with his curls gently, until his fingers got stuck on a tangled bit and he pulled on the hair a bit. What he'd expected was Darren waking up or even just stirring, what he got was a muffled moan and Darren's hand shooting up to his thigh and squeezing it a little. Just to see if it would happen again, _Definitely not because I liked the reaction_ , Chris tried to gently pull on Darren's hair again and got the exact same response, this time followed by what sounded like his name.

He let his head fall against the back of the couch and sighed, trying to ignore the sparks that were shooting from where Darren's fingers were laying still just above his knee. While he was trying to avoid embarrassing himself in case Darren woke up, he felt the hand on his leg start moving in regular strokes up and down.

 _God, Dare, what are you doing?_ He thought, his breathing speeding up.

He'd managed to regain his senses eventually and reached for Darren's hand. Their fingers automatically laced together and Chris breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped the stroking. His head was still leaning against the back of the couch and he found himself slipping into a nap.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that Darren's hand slipped out of his and was now curled around the top of his thigh again, moving slowly, but more deliberately than earlier. He wondered for a moment if Darren was awake, but his brain was still frazzled, so combined with the way his body was reacting to Darren's touch, Chris couldn't find a properly coherent thought.

Darren was indeed awake and well aware of the hitch in Chris' breathing at each stroke of his hand, even before he felt the stirring that gave away his friend's waking up. He didn't want to stop, but knew he would once Chris decided to let him know he was conscious.

"Dare," came a whisper from Chris' lips and Darren's hand immediately stilled.

"Uh-huh," he replied with the impression of someone who was _just_ jolted awake.

"We missed the movie," Chris laughed, making Darren notice the end credits rolling on the screen.

"Not my fault that you left the bed early."

"We could go back?"

Chris' suggestion resonated with insecurity, but Darren was already scrambling up and held out his hand towards Chris. They walked up to the bedroom and fell on the bed, both still a little dazed from the nap on the couch.

"Little spoon," Darren mumbled and pulled Chris closer.

"It's like that, is it?" Chris chuckled, the vibrations sending a shiver down Darren's spine.

"Sleep," Darren whispered and wrapped Chris' arm around his waist.

Darren felt Chris' warm breath on his neck and started dozing off almost immediately, more exhausted than he realized he was. The last thing he noticed before he was pulled under was that Chris started breathing more evenly at the same time as he did.

When Darren stirred back into consciousness again, he was tempted to stretch and lean into Chris' arms more than he was. But then the arm he'd wrapped around his waist before he fell asleep moved and he felt Chris running lazy circles over his stomach. He tried to continue breathing evenly, despite the vibrations he felt through his body helped by Chris nuzzling close into his neck and _for heaven's sake_ breathing him in.

 _This shouldn't feel so good_ , Darren thought, _why does it feel this good?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chris waited for the moment it would all crumble around him. Their shared naps continued through the weeks, their closeness grew and neither of them commented on how they'd wake up wrapped around each other, hands not quite roaming freely but not kept in entirely safe places either. Still, everything was kept sort of PG and family friendly, unless people had wild imaginations. Which, unfortunately, a lot of their cast mates seemed to have.

Darren didn't show even the tiniest bit of being uncomfortable, if anything, he was more at ease with the closeness than Chris. But that could have been chalked up to Darren's general penchant for being in people's personal space. At least that was how Chris explained it to himself.

What Chris noticed and what made him more nervous than he already was were comments he'd overheard from the rest of the cast and crew. They've given up pretending that they would just disappear to run lines or talk and eventually confessed to a select few of their friends about the naps. So Ashley, Amber, Chord, Lea and Mark knew, but both Darren and Chris vehemently denied it was anything else. That of course didn't stop the teasing directed at them.

"So boo, anything you want to share?" Ashley would ask on an almost daily basis.

"No," Chris grumbled one afternoon, particularly grumpy after a spell of a few days of barely any sleep, since Darren was out of town, "And would you ever stop nagging about it?"

"It's all just fun," Ashley tried to calm him down, "but you've been… I don't know, happier since this all started. You're more yourself, except for when you're going through Darren withdrawal symptoms."

"I'm not having _Darren_ withdrawal symptoms, Ash, I'm tired. I'm lacking _sleep_."

"Exactly, you're not sleeping without him there."

"Are you saying we're co-dependent?"

"No, honey, that's not it at all. It's not just the sleep either, are you sure nothing else is going on?"

" _Yes_ Ashley, we're friends and it is _just_ sleep."

Chris stomped away, aware that he was acting like a sulky teenager, but he was so tired and so grumpy, he didn't care. He knew Ashley wouldn't get mad at him, otherwise he'd not just march off to his trailer.

"Sleep deprivation?"

Darren was sitting on his couch in the trailer, grin on his face, but dark circles under his eyes. Chris just nodded and grumbled something about nosy and annoying friends before he let Darren pull him down onto the couch.

"How long a break do you have?"

"I'm back on at four."

"Set the alarm?"

"Done already, I didn't want to forget, though I didn't expect to be able to sleep."

"Well, we can now," Darren mumbled into Chris' neck and their breathing evened out.

Chris woke up a while before the alarm, already more rested than he was the last three days. He stretched and froze at the first movement he made. The shift caused Darren's arms to move and his fingers slid against Chris' crotch. Since Chris had managed to change into jogging bottoms after wrapping his scene earlier, this left a dangerously thin barrier between Darren's hand and Chris' cock, which reacted immediately.

Shifting again as fast as he could and trying to get Darren's arm out of the danger zone, Chris only managed to cause it to brush against his now growing erection again. And then Darren grumbled at the disruption and pulled Chris closer, fortunately locking his arm around Chris' waist.

The damage was already done, though and Chris needed to calm himself down somehow, which proved impossible. Darren held on tight and his breath was sending further sparks down Chris' body because his nose was nuzzled just under Chris' ear.

Chris was debating whether to try and pry himself away from Darren and risking that his friend would wake up or whether to wait it out the few minutes until the alarm would go off which would leave him hoping and praying his hard on would disappear by then.

"Hmm, Chris," Darren breathed into Chris' neck, causing him to jump out of the embrace.

When Darren's sleepy eyes met his, Chris only managed to babble something about the bathroom and disappeared there, blushing and cursing furiously.


	8. Chapter 8

It turned out not to be the only incident when Darren's hands would land in places that caused Chris substantial problems with self-control. Or when Chris found his own hands in places he _honestly_ didn't intend to have them. Some days it was Darren's finger brushing against one of his nipples when they were settling in for a nap, other days Darren called being little spoon and wriggled enough to rub his ass into Chris' crotch. Not that they were really spooning if anyone was to ever ask.

There was also the afternoon in Chris' trailer when he woke up with Darren's hand on his side, thumb sneaking under the elastic of Chris' sweatpants. And the late night at Darren's when Chris would have sworn it was merely circumstance that his hand was settled perfectly on the back of Darren's thigh, just under the curve of the ass that Chris wasn't _ever_ checking out.

Then one morning Chris woke up to Darren's lips on his neck, not actively kissing but definitely touching and sending shivers down Chris' spine. A few days after, the first thing Chris heard after waking up was a soft moan out of Darren's mouth. He tensed and then noticed that his hand was flat on Darren's chest and his fingers must have just brushed against Darren's nipple.

This time, Chris couldn't resist and deliberately repeated the move. He got the same response, only this time he also heard his name falling from Darren's lips. His body reacted immediately and he jerked his hips backwards so Darren wouldn't feel how hard Chris got in mere seconds.

"Chris," Darren whispered again, still seemingly asleep and turned around.

Chris froze and began forming explanations in his head, but saw that Darren's eyes were still closed. Instead, he was pulled closer into his friend's arms and inevitably brushed his cock against Darren. What he most definitely didn't expect, despite the moan from a few moments earlier, was Darren's equally hard cock brushing against his through the thin layers of sleep pants they were wearing.

That was the final wake-up call Chris needed in that moment and he pulled away from Darren immediately, not even caring if the other man would wake. Without looking to check, Chris darted into the bathroom and leaned against the cool tiles, confused.

"Too far, too close," Chris mumbled to himself, "I knew this wouldn't go well. What the _hell_ did you think you were doing Colfer? You're insane. You shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place."

He continued berating himself but eventually calmed down and walked back into the bedroom only to find the bed empty.

"Oh great," he groaned. "Now I've scared him off and ruined everything."

Just as he finished the whispered sentence, he heard banging from the kitchen and his eyes fell on Darren's shoes still by the bed.

"Hey Dare," Chris said quietly but trying to act normal.

"Hey, I thought I'd make coffee," Darren smiled, "since we're already awake and I doubt either of us will fall asleep now, we've actually managed seven hours last night."

Darren was babbling but not in a nervous way, just in his usual " _Hello, my name is Darren, I'm pretending to be a grown up but I have the mannerisms and energy of a 5 year old_ " way. Chris breathed a sigh of relief and pushed his discomfort into the back of his head, knowing he wouldn't get rid of it quite that easily.

"So, since we normally pass out if we watch a movie, what do you say we head out for a drive or something for a while?"

"Where?" Chris asked, immediately doing a face-palm in his head.

_Why am I agreeing to this? We're bound to get awkward at some point very very soon. Either that or we're gonna get photographed and it'll be a disaster._

"Well, we could be lame and go do the touristy Hollywood sign thing, or," Darren pauses and grins, "we can make use of the place in Malibu."

Chris knew Darren's parents had a place in Malibu and that they weren't there at the moment. It was somewhat out of the way and there was definitely less of a chance they'd get caught by some idiot photographer.

"Malibu?"

"That's what I thought. Come on, then, let's go!"


	9. Chapter 9

"So are we sunbathing?" Darren asked once they arrived at the beach.

Chris shot him a quick " _Are you kidding me?_ " look and started looking for the nearest shade he could relax in. He may have had slightly less painful than usual experiences with the sun lately, but he wasn't supposed to look tanned on screen anyway.

"Ah, right, _Porcelain_ ," Darren poked him and reached his hand out, "Come on then, we'll stick to the house."

Without thinking, Chris clasped Darren's hand in his and only halfway to the house stopped mid-step. Darren turned back to him and both of them moved their eyes down. For a couple of seconds, Chris considered pulling his hand away but then Darren shrugged his shoulders and continued walking, not giving Chris any other option than to follow, unless he wanted to lose his arm.

"Drink?" Darren was already reaching for an apple juice once they reached the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure," Chris replied absent-mindedly, his fingers still tingling from the touch.

Then he raised his eyebrow as Darren handed him a Diet Coke can.

"Your parents just randomly have Diet Coke here?"

"I may have mentioned we'd be coming over at some point this week," Darren said sheepishly, "and you know my Mom, she'll cater to everyone's whim. Though, come to think of it, she didn't bother getting Minute Maid for me."

"Maybe she just loves me more," Chris teased and then pouted, "and it's not a _whim_."

"Yes, I know, it's an addiction," Darren's hip met Chris' as they were leaning against the counter side by side, "You have a problem, Colfer."

"I do," Chris admitted, "He's about yay-high, curly, hyper and talks a lot."

"You…" Darren glared at him, "you're asking for a tickle attack."

"Catch me then," Chris slipped away from Darren's reach.

Within seconds, they were chasing each other around the house and front porch, laughing more carelessly than either of them had in a while. Eventually, Darren managed to sneak up on Chris next to the pool and both of them fell in with a loud splash.

"You," Chris spluttered and pushed Darren back under water, "I hate you."

There was a little pushing and shoving as they were getting out of the pool which ended in Darren falling back in.

"At least it's warm," Darren shook off his hair over Chris, who was already on a lounge chair.

"Ugh, you're like an over-excited puppy!" Chris exclaimed.

"Loveable, though," Darren giggled as he squirmed his way between Chris' legs on the chair.

Chris didn't even bother fighting for his personal space. He let Darren lean back against Chris' chest and their fingers intertwined on top of Darren's stomach.

 _You have no idea just how loveable, Dare_ , Chris thought and let his head fall back onto the headrest.

Darren turned a little after a while and found that Chris had dozed off. Their fingers were still tangled and Darren ran his thumb over the soft skin on Chris' wrist, watching for a reaction. He'd not dare do anything too obvious when Chris was awake, but he couldn't help it lately.

He knew that their friends had started noticing and he'd been actually confronted by Cory a few days earlier about not messing with Chris' head. That was followed by a long talk with Chord about how it was all messing with Darren's head. And the result of both was that he still had no idea what to make of everything.

"Dare," came a gentle whisper from Chris' lips as Darren felt the embrace tighten around him.

He let his head fall back onto Chris' chest, the T-shirt still damp and somewhat see-through thanks to that.

 _We do fit_ , was the last thought he had before Chris' even breathing lulled him to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

They didn't go back to Chris' or Darren's that night, instead used the bit of peace and quiet from everything and everyone at the house in Malibu and even went for a walk on the beach. The distance between them stayed minimal but neither of the men said anything about accidental touches of their hands or their hips lining up when they were standing next to each other.

Once they returned to the house, Darren suggested watching a movie in the bedroom, instead of the couch, because they both knew they would just fall asleep. They didn't even get halfway through _Finding Nemo_ when Chris fell asleep, fingers laced with Darren's, chest lined up with Darren's back, leaving no space between them.

Darren woke up in the middle of the night and it took him a while to take in his surroundings and the position him and Chris were in. Somehow, while they were both asleep, they managed to shift from the previous position and were facing each other, Darren's fingers still tangled with Chris' between them.

"Chris?" Darren whispered as quietly as possible and even in the darkness noticed that the eyelids he was staring at fluttered a little.

Knowing that Chris was at least on the verge of waking up, Darren gathered up the courage he needed to move. He'd been thinking of all the accidental touches between them more and more in the previous days and couldn't stop wondering if Chris would back off from deliberate ones. He'd come to the conclusion that the best way to get an answer was to try.

His free hand was rested on Chris' waist and he moved it a fraction, his eyes glued to Chris' face. When he got no adverse reaction, he continued moving his fingers lower until his hand was clutching Chris' hip and he began tracing circles over Chris' hip bone.

Chris shuddered a little but didn't say anything or move, so Darren continued what he was doing. A few moments later, he felt Chris shudder again and the hold on Darren's fingers got tighter.

"Dare," Chris whimpered quietly and dipped his head so his forehead was resting against Darren's shoulder.

Darren continued moving his hand and revelled in the sound of Chris' breathing that echoed through the otherwise silent room. It sent shivers down his spine and he knew that very soon he'd be rock hard, but since Chris didn't do anything to stop him, Darren had no intention to.

Neither of them was willing to completely give away that this wasn't an unintentional sleep side-effect yet, but Chris did move his arm from the awkward position between them. He slid it underneath Darren's neck and his fingers came to a rest in Darren's hair.

Then a few things happened in quick succession. Darren pressed harder into Chris' hip, dipping a little lower than he did before and found that one spot that sent a jolt of electricity through Chris' body. The shock caused Chris to tangle his fingers in Darren's curls and pull on them. Darren's head fell back at the sensation and his hand slipped down between them, brushing against Chris' rock hard cock.

Darren moved his hand back up quickly, brushing his fingers against Chris again, felt another tug on his hair and his hips bucked into Chris, pressing his own hard on into the other man's hip.

"Jesus, Darren," Chris moaned.

Then, as if he got splashed with cold water, Chris pulled away and his breathing started to sound panicked. Darren's eyes fluttered open and he was met with Chris' blue ones, wide open and clearly bearing an " _OH NO, WHAT ARE WE DOING?_ " expression.

"Chris," Darren's voice broke, but he didn't have a chance to say any more as Chris scrambled away from the bed and basically ran into the bathroom.

"Fuck," Darren cursed into the silence and buried his face into the nearest pillow.


	11. Chapter 11

Chris was pacing across the floor in the bathroom, which almost left him dizzy as the space was quite small. He'd tried to put the pieces of what had just happened together, but his brain seemed to be locked in panic more. All he was able to come up with was " _No, no, not good, no, holy shit I'm fucked_ " which led to his thoughts going to completely inappropriate places. He splashed cold water into his face to try and calm down, but it did absolutely nothing.

Then Darren knocked on the door and Chris jumped a little.

"You OK, Chris?" the voice was muffled by the door, but the concern was still audible.

"Fine," Chris grumbled back, just loud enough so Darren would hear.

"I'll go make some food," Darren said and moments later Chris heard the bedroom door close.

He paced the floor some more and then with a deep breath stepped out and headed for the kitchen. Darren was running around and putting random things on the table, obviously nervous but just as clearly trying to not let it show. Chris could see right through the façade, but decided to leave the heavy talk for after they've eaten.

They somehow organised going back to LA later that morning, though Chris wouldn't have been able to recall details of the conversation if he'd tried. He couldn't remember there ever being as many awkward silences as through breakfast and that included their first meeting when Chris had completely fanboyed over Starkid and Darren didn't know what to make of it then.

"Darren," he sighed when they put the dishes away, "We need to talk."

"Never a good line to say, Colfer," Darren tried to grin, his voice a little shaky.

"Look, this morning…"

"Chris…"

"No, let me talk," Chris was determined. "I should've known I'd not handle this. I know your boundaries are different than others' and I'm OK with that, normally. But I don't want to put you in an awkward position, so maybe it's better if we don't do the nap thing anymore."

Darren stared at Chris and tried to form a response, but his mind wasn't firing on all cylinders just yet. Chris didn't stop to let Darren say anything either and continued rambling.

"It's not even that I'm just craving someone touching me or anything, really it's you and it's been you before and I shouldn't be telling you this. But I can't seem to explain why this is so wrong without saying too much, so whatever," Chris stared out of the window, aware of Darren standing there, but not having the courage to face him. "It's been like that before we started sleeping together, except not _sleeping together_ , shit, you know what I mean. And I _definitely_ shouldn't be telling you how long I've liked you like that, but… I just can't do this anymore. I can't take advantage of something that was supposed to be about sleeping and friendship. I did take advantage, though, and it was… it just was, but we can't anymore."

There was a brief silence and Darren wanted to reply but couldn't think of words that might convince Chris to change his mind. So he nodded and walked out to pack his bag.

They drove with the radio on full volume, a decision neither of them made really, but the unspoken agreement to not talk filled the air between them. When Darren finally pulled up at Chris' house and watched his friend gather up his things and head for the door, something snapped in him and he turned the radio down.

"Chris?" he called out to the tall man and watched him turn around at the door, "for the record, whatever happened and what we did? I liked it and I liked it because it was you."

Leaving Chris standing by his front door with a completely stunned expression in his face, Darren drove off.


	12. Chapter 12

The days after felt a little like hell to Chris. Not because Darren was acting differently or because things were strange. Almost nothing seemed to have changed between them, if he was looking at the situation objectively. Darren was exactly like he was before, except they hung out a little bit less, which could be, and Chris had to admit it was, explained by their set times and storylines not being as synchronised as they used to be in the early days.

What dragged him down was partly the lack of sleep as he didn't have Darren there physically to allow for a proper rest. The other part was that while Darren was _not_ physically next to him all the time, Chris couldn't shake the parting line no matter how much he'd tried.

"Boo, how are you?" Ashley asked him when she met him for coffee on Friday after a surprisingly short day of shooting.

"I'm fine, Ash," Chris grumbled into his cup.

"How many hours of sleep did you get this week?"

"About six."

"That's not bad," Ashley said with relief but immediately frowned when she saw Chris' face, "unless that's for the week."

Chris only managed to nod and slump more than he already was. He felt Ashley's eyes on him but couldn't find anything to say to her. Darren had been his anchor in more ways than just a nap buddy and having had less interaction with him through the week had left him exhausted.

"Chris, honey…"

"Don't, Ash, don't say it. It's no good anyway."

"Look, I know you're not doing the nap thing anymore, but why do I have the feeling there's more to it?"

"We just… I…" Chris rubbed his face, tired but teetering on the edge between consciousness and sleep, "it's complicated."

"It was always complicated with you two," Ashley reached for Chris' hand, "even if you pretended it wasn't. And I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it was both of you pretending."

Chris nodded, Darren's words speeding through his mind again.

"So what happened? Did you two accidentally kiss or something?"

With that question, Chris' dam broke and he told Ashley how Darren and he got closer, all the accidental touches and mid-sleep names breathed out, to the final morning and how much he'd enjoyed all of it.

And then he told Ashley about Darren's comment when he had dropped Chris off after the Malibu trip.

"Boo, I don't think he was lying."

"How did you know…" Chris had been convincing himself the whole week that he'd heard wrong or that Darren didn't mean it, or that he was just trying to ease Chris' fears.

"Because I know you and I know Darren. And I've watched the two of you do this dance around each other since he started on the show."

Chris let that sink in and after a few beats looked at his friend and sighed.

"What do I do now?"

"Well, you have questions to answer to yourself to start with. Want me to run you through them?"

There was a nod and a moment and Ashley began with quickfire questions.

"Did you enjoy being able to sleep?"

"Yes."

"Was it because of Darren that you slept better?"

"Kind of."

"Was it just a coincidence that you could sleep when he was there?"

"I don't think so."

"Was it just the sleep that got better?"

"No."

"Did you feel happier knowing he was there so much?"

"Yes."

"Did you sleep worse when he was away?"

"Yes."

"Did you miss _him_ when he was away or just the sleep comfort?"

"Him."

"Did his touches make you uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Were you initiating any of them consciously?"

"Yes."

"Did you want him to touch you when awake?"

"Yes."

"Do you _want_ him?"

"Yes."

"Do you _like_ him?"

"D'oh."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes," Chris breathed out and froze, "Oh."


	13. Chapter 13

Darren tossed and turned on the sofa in his trailer, trying to find a way to be comfortable, but he couldn't settle. He hadn't been able to settle since he drove away from Chris' house, his parting line echoing in his head still.

The week passed slowly and he'd managed to revert back to his behaviour from before the nap arrangement. He was actually quite proud of himself for that, because he didn't think he would be able to. But not being on speaking terms with Chris just wasn't something he could even imagine.

"Hey Dare," Chord's voice came from outside the trailer door, "You in there?"

"Yeah," Darren scrambled off the sofa, "Door's open."

"So," Chord walked in, concern obvious in his face, but didn't bother starting with small talk, "What's going on with you and Chris?"

"What?"

"Oh don't give me that crap, Criss. I came here and you two are not being obnoxiously cute mumbling while you sleep. You're _here_ and not in Colfer's swanky night club slash trailer. And you haven't been all week."

"Are you my stalker now?"

"Deflection won't work my friend. What happened?"

Darren only just managed to not groan in frustration and to keep his eyes on Chord, who was waiting for an answer. He did need to talk to someone, so he gave Chord a watered down version of everything.

"Darren? What is it that you want?"

"I don't know. Sleep, maybe? The company and the closeness we had. Chris. Just… Chris."

"And you can't have him why exactly?"

"What part of Chris freaking out and backing off did you miss, Chord? _Chris_ doesn't want any of that anymore. That's if he ever did."

"Of course, that must be why the two of you were like an old married couple until last week."

"That's before we went too far. I obviously misjudged the situation."

"I don't think you did."

"Chord."

"Darren."

They stayed silent for a while and Darren mulled over everything said and done between Chris and he until the previous weekend and since.

"Did you at least bring it up with him since, Dare?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I do take " _no_ " for an answer like a normal person does. I wasn't about to try and see just how many times he can say no."

Chord eventually let up and changed the topic to a safer one, but didn't leave until they had to go back on set. Despite not having had any sleep, Darren managed to make it through the day and only fumbled his lines and the choreography a few times during the last group number.

"So, we're all on, par-tay at mine tonight," Mark yelled at everyone before they packed up for the day.

"What?" Darren did a sharp stop and turn in the door.

"I've an empty house, it's Friday, we're _ON_."

"Text me who got wasted first, Salling," Darren laughed and turned back to the exit.

Mark caught up with him and pulled him out into the corridor.

"Oh no, Darren, you're not staying home."

"But I've got plans."

"What plans? Taking sleeping pills and yet walking around the house wide awake?"

"That's not me, that's… oh nevermind, OK, I'll bite. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Yes, bring your guitar. Or the ukulele, if you want. Both would be good, actually."

Darren nodded and walked towards his trailer. On the way, he got Mark's text with the time information and by the time he got out of the Blaine clothes and rearranged his hair out of the gel helmet, it looked like everyone was gone. He trudged through the quiet lot to his car, pondering what excuse he could come up with so he wouldn't have to make the party.

"So, you're going to Mark's tonight?"

Darren didn't turn around to look at Chris' face. For a moment he was tempted to ask why Chris was still at the studio, since he'd finished hours earlier. But that was too much conversation which Darren knew he wouldn't pull off smoothly. Instead, he nodded to answer Chris' question and slid into his car, not looking back as he pulled out of the parking lot.


	14. Chapter 14

The party was in full swing by the time Darren finally made it there and he looked around cautiously. He was still slightly berating himself for agreeing to come just because it had been Chris who'd asked. He had considered bailing, but he wasn't about to start lying. Not to Chris of all people.

 _Yes, that's the only reason I've actually dragged myself over. So I'm not a liar_ , Darren rolled his eyes at himself.

"I didn't think you'd make it, man," Chord patted Darren's shoulder and handed him a shot of something.

"Yeah, well, not like I had anything to do."

"Come on, Mark's set up the backyard for music."

"It's a good thing he doesn't have close neighbours," Darren managed to laugh, "Though it's gonna be a free Glee Live show tonight, isn't it?"

"Not if Chris doesn't drink enough to do _Single Ladies_ ," Chord joked and Darren groaned.

That was _not_ what he needed right now, so he hoped it wouldn't happen. Chris' hips had been mesmerising during the tour, let alone now when he's had fantasies of…

 _Shut up, brain_ , Darren chastised himself, _do not go there._

The party turned into the usual debauchery fairly quick, alcohol flowing and everyone enjoying the freedom that Mark's very private house gave them. Darren eventually let the girls talk him into singing some of his covers, though he pointedly ignored some song requests, like those for his own songs.

He briefly considered playing _Stutter_ but immediately decided against it. Melodrama wasn't his thing and while their characters were in high school, he wasn't Blaine.

"You look shattered, man," Mark sounded genuinely concerned when he sat down next to Darren, "More so than usual. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine."

"Ah, the generic standby for 'I'm fucked up but I don't want to talk about it'. Original, Criss, very original," Mark poked him, the smirk on his face not quite masking the worry in his eyes.

Darren glared at Mark but didn't elaborate, because he didn't quite know what to say. He hadn't slept well or rather he barely slept for a week and while in the past it never made a difference, this time he felt like a train wreck. His brain wouldn't stop buzzing and his body felt like it was craving a hit.

"Do you want to get some peace and quiet?" Mark offered, "I know the girls will be at your back soon to play more, but I get the feeling you're not quite up for it right now."

Darren nodded in response; the thought of locking himself away from the noise suddenly seemed to be the answer. He had a feeling if he stayed, he would play something completely over the top that would push Chris away for good.

"Come on, there's a room above the garage that's perfect."

They walked away from the rest of the cast, luckily without anyone running interference and Darren thanked Mark before he snuck in the room and shut the door.

Once he was alone with his guitar, he ran his fingers over the strings and just played nonsense for a while. Then without thinking, he started plucking through songs that were playing in his head for the past week.

_Even now when we're already over, I can't help myself from looking for you._

_I don't know what day it is, I had to check the paper, I don't know the city but it isn't home_

Between _Set Fire To The Rain_ and _All This Time_ , he was only just holding back from breaking down. Sure, the _So I'm straight in a straight line_ part of the lyrics stung a little and he guessed that was where some part of Chris' withdrawal was coming from. Darren thought that was a non-issue after everything that had happened, but he had a feeling it wasn't that simple.

Eventually, being alone and hoping no one would come knocking on the door he gave in and played the one song that was on his mind all night.

_Remember that time? / When you wouldn't talk to me? / You wouldn't talk to me / All night_

_But I know that you want it / Trying to get you on it / Baby we could fuck the rights / Turn around and wrong it_

_Oh, don't you tell me no / 'Cause there you go again / You're ten out of ten / I'm sorry d-did I just s-stutter?_

From _Stutter_ , he managed a transition he never thought would work to the one song that made him want to open the door and sing loud enough so everyone else could hear.

_Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door. / Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before._

By the time he finished, he was exhausted and only just managed to put the guitar aside. He was asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.


	15. Chapter 15

Chris watched Darren play from the moment Dianna and Lea finally succeeded in wearing him down about the Disney covers. He laughed when Darren tried to annoy them with the DuckTales theme. He frowned when he heard the firm refusal from Darren regarding his own songs. Not once did Darren look in his direction, not that Chris tried to be in plain view.

"Hey," Lea came up to him when he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hi," he mumbled, not up for small talk.

"How are you holding up?"

Chris' eyes shot up to Lea's and he tried for a moment to make sense of her question, but came up blank.

"What do you mean?"

"Darren. Well, you and Darren and whatever you two had."

"We… what?"

"Look, there was something there, up until last week, wasn't there?"

Chris nodded with resignation and looked away.

"So, I figured since you're both walking zombies since then, something changed," Lea continued quietly, "And I know you've had a crush on him before he even came on the show. So it couldn't have been you ending whatever crazy arrangement you had, right?"

"Lea…"

She lifted up his chin and the surprise in her face when their eyes met and she figured out the response to her query was clear.

"But," she tried to search Chris' face for an explanation, "why, Chris?"

Lea kept her eyes on him while he tried to avoid her gaze, tried to find a way to get out of answering the question. Because at the end of the day, the answer was that he'd chickened out and had taken what seemed to be the easy way out. He'd decided to run before he had to face reality.

 

Lea reached for his hand and that was the last straw that made him spill everything to her.

"Chris?" Mark suddenly appeared at the door just when Chris stopped talking, "Come with me."

"What?"

"Just come with me, Colfer," Mark basically demanded, leaving no room for argument.

They walked out of the main part of the house and Mark stopped at a closed door at the end of a hallway. Chris looked at him without word, his face showing the confusion he felt.

"Stand here," Mark moved him to the door, "listen," and he walked away.

Chris was still confused but then heard the tones of a guitar from behind his door and felt his heart start to race. He knew that style of playing all too well and for a second, he considered leaving, because he felt guilty about sort of invading Darren's privacy. But then he heard Darren start to sing.

_It was dark and I was over / Until you kissed my lips and you saved me_

He knew the song all too well, even with Darren's spin on the music, he'd have recognised it any time. Two more lines in, Chris felt his legs give in and he slid down along the wall, only just stopping himself from banging his head against the hard surface.

The songs from behind the door were an eye opener to him, answering questions he knew he had and was too afraid to say out loud. Yet he didn't dare knocking or walking in, though and once he realised there was only silence, he managed to move to the sofa across the hallway and curled up on it, wondering if he would be able to fix things. 


	16. Chapter 16

Darren felt warmth surround him when he started emerging from his dream. As his eyes opened, he was still pondering the realisation that he'd actually _slept_ and felt rested, unlike the entire week that had just passed. He wondered when someone wrapped him up in a blanket and started preparing his speech to Lea about mothering, because he couldn't think of anyone else.

"Ugh, stop squirming!" the voice from behind him almost made him scream.

"Chris?" he managed to breathe out.

He turned around in Chris' arms and his jaw felt like it was unhinged for a moment. Chris was there, in the same bed as him, arms wrapped around Darren's waist. They stayed put even as Chris' eyes opened and Darren saw that he wasn't the only one surprised by this.

"What? Where…"

"What are you doing here?"  Darren enquired cautiously.

"I don't know," Chris sounded almost panicked, "I fell asleep on a sofa in the hallway."

"Well, you _do_ sleepwalk," was Darren's response followed by a chuckle.

"Only when I take the sleep meds though and I've not had any last night. I don't know how I even fell asleep."

Darren pondered this for a moment, piecing the puzzle together quietly, while trying to not alert Chris to the fact that they were still basically wrapped in a hug. He wanted to enjoy the closeness again, however brief it would be this time.

"Mark."

"Lea."

"Ashley."

"Chord."

"Dianna."

"Possibly Cory."

"OK, more appropriate question is who wouldn't have had a hand in us being here now?"

"You mean which one of them wouldn't interfere because we spent a week barely talking?"

Chris cringed at Darren's summary of the week. It was spot on, but he felt guilty because it was his fault.

"Chris," Darren whispered, "I didn't mean…"

"I'm sorry," Chris choked out.

"What are you sorry for?"

"All last week," Chris managed to look into Darren's eyes, "the weekend in Malibu."

"The whole weekend?"

Darren waited for the answer to the most important question he'd just blurted out. His eyes were searching Chris' for a hint of something, anything really. Then Chris shook his head slowly but firmly, dropping his gaze.

"No, not the whole weekend. Just the part where I freaked out."

"Why did you?"

There was silence and Darren hoped he'd get an answer, because it was the one thing that was nagging at him since that morning in Malibu.

"I thought I went too far. That I was about to make things weird and uncomfortable between us."

"Did I give you the impression of not being OK with anything?"

"No, but… you'd have gotten there once you were really awake."

"Chris," Darren lifted his hand to his friend's chin and lifted it so he could see the blue eyes, "I wasn't in the slightest uncomfortable. I thought _I_ overstepped."

"Oh."

"I wasn't confused. I'm still not confused. I liked us and everything that happened."

"But…"

"I would have stopped you if you did anything I didn't want. Don't you trust me to do that?"

Instead of answering, Chris pulled Darren closer, finally aware of his arms around the shorter boy's waist and his head moved to rest on Darren's chest as they shifted on the bed.

"I'm sorry, Dare."

Darren didn't reply. Instead, he moved his arm around Chris and let his fingers slide through the hair above Chris' neck.

"I missed this," he eventually mumbled into the silence as they were both drifting back to sleep, "I missed you."

"I missed us," he heard Chris add before they both fell asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

"Awww, they're so cute," Darren woke up to a not so quiet whisper from the door.

"Sssh, don't wake them," another voice sounded through the room.

"Switch the sound off if you're taking a picture!"

Chris shifted, pulling Darren closer and they both opened their eyes, looking at each other and giving away that neither was asleep anymore.

"Hi boys," Dianna's voice was laced with laughter, "Sleep well?"

"Why are they here?" Chris mumbled, "I want to go back to sleep."

"Guys," Darren lifted his head lazily, "get out."

"Aww, but Dare…"

"Out. Sleep going on here."

"Right, sleep," Mark barely managed to say before he started laughing.

"Seriously, why are you all here?" Chris turned under the blanket, glaring at their friends.

"Making sure you two haven't killed each other," Lea said with a grin on her face, "Clearly we shouldn't have worried."

"Overstreet, pay up."

"Damn it, you couldn't have held out another day, could you?" Chord grumbled and handed something over to Mark.

"Or got over yourselves faster," Dianna sighed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her wallet.

Darren and Chris looked at each other, shock all over their faces. Then they both rolled their eyes and turned back to the others.

"Really guys, you had money on this?" Darren asked, not quite surprised, "Should I ask who started it?"

"Fink," Chris stated without any obvious emotion in his voice.

"What? Me? Chris, would I do that to you?" Ashley said defensively, but gave in once she saw Chris' raised eyebrow.

"Did you at least win, Ash?"

"Of course I did," she said with a smile.

"Great," Chris reached his hand out, "our first date is on you."

Darren dropped his forehead to Chris' shoulder and grinned, then cuddled closer.

"Now out," Chris settled into the hug, "Just please, don't say anything to anyone else, OK?"

"And if you do come back, bring coffee. Or any form of caffeine," Darren mumbled, "And knock."

Chris attempted to glare at Darren, but only managed a chuckle that was quickly followed by laughter from Ashley, Lea and Chord. A pillow hit the door as it closed behind Mark who was the last one out.

"Now what?" Chris turned to Darren properly.

"How about this?" Darren whispered and lifted his lips to Chris'.

The kiss started gently, carefully, as if Darren was testing how OK Chris was with going back to where they were a week earlier. He didn't have to wonder for too long as Chris returned the kiss eagerly, tongue poking to run over Darren's bottom lip.

"I think I'm quite OK with that," Chris breathed out when they pulled away.

"So, date?" Darren asked with a raised eyebrow.

"W-we don't have to," Chris stuttered a little, "I just thought…"

"Joking, Chris," Darren lifted his hand up to Chris' cheek, "I'd love to go out with you."

A sigh of relief escaped Chris' lips and he reached for Darren's hand, lacing their fingers together.

"We'll talk about that later, though, now I kind of want to kiss you some more."

"Oh do you?" Chris laughed, "What are you waiting for then?"

Darren didn't wait to be asked twice. He pulled his hand free and lifted it to Chris' mouth, tracing his bottom lip a few times until Chris gave in to the temptation and his tongue followed the path Darren's finger had traced. That was enough for Darren to shift closer and move his mouth to Chris'.

Their hands automatically reached for the other's hair and Chris couldn't help tugging on Darren's curls so he'd hear and feel the reaction. Darren meanwhile dropped his hand lower and slid his fingers slowly along Chris' spine, stopping just short of the bottom of the taller man's shirt. He wasn't quite sure how brave he could get with his wandering fingers, so he kept them there and traced lazy patterns on the sliver of skin that was reachable between Chris' shirt and the top of his jeans.

Instead of hesitating like Darren did, Chris pulled all his courage together and when his hand moved to the bottom of Darren's T-shirt, he simply pushed it higher and ran his hand over the warm skin on Darren's back. As their kiss deepened, they finally both gave in to the temptation and scrambled to take their tops off. Chris' shirt came off without their kiss breaking, though Darren struggled with the buttons for a moment, but the T-shirt wasn't as easily removed.

Darren sat up and before Chris got a chance to do anything, he found himself on his back, Darren's knees around his hips. The T-shirt was off in seconds and Darren leaned forward to kiss Chris, shuddering slightly at the feeling of their skin touching. Then he slid over to the side and tugged on the top of Chris' jeans.

"Off," he said, his voice muffled by Chris' lips, "please?"

"Yours too," Chris said as he undid the buttons and lifted his hips to slide the jeans off.

Once they were only in their underwear, Chris pulled Darren closer and this time didn't pull his hips back. He felt Darren hard against his thigh and a groan escaped his lips as they shifted around until their bodies were lined up. Darren wrapped his arms around Chris' waist and held him close while his tongue slid out of his mouth and slid against Chris' bottom lip.

When their cocks slid against each other, Darren dropped his head lower and moved so his lips were just below Chris' earlobe.

"Fuck, Chris," he gasped when he felt a hand sliding down from his back to his ass and pulling him closer, "you're going to make me feel like a teenager again," he whispered and his head fell back while his hips pushed into Chris.

Chris just raised an eyebrow at him and rubbed his cock against Darren's again, watching the older man's eyelids close.

"Good," he said softly, "I want to… I want you to come. Just like this, Dare."

Moments later, Darren gave in, dropped his head back against Chris' shoulder, muttering curse words under his breath and his whole body shuddered as he came, feeling Chris follow seconds later.

"Holy shit, why did we not do this sooner?"

Chris laughed softly as he looked at Darren, both of them flushed and still a little out of breath a few minutes later.

"Because apparently, I'm a complete idiot. And currently, a messy one, let's go clean up," Chris tried to push Darren gently off so he could move.

"No," Darren snuggled closer, "I'm comfy, how about you go later?"

"I was hoping you'd join me," Chris whispered into Darren's ear and then watched him pull away and stare with a raised eyebrow.

Chris wiggled out of Darren's arms and headed for the en suite.

"You coming, or what?"

Darren laughed as he watched Chris walk away from the bed, then lifted himself off the bed.

"But Christopher," he attempted a serious tone, "before the first date?"

Chris turned his head for a second, shrugged his shoulders and let his tongue run over his lips.

"Come and find out," he laughed and disappeared into the bathroom.

That was all the invitation Darren needed.


End file.
